Sunday, March 30, 2008

CIA Director: AQ Training Western-Looking Operatives

CIA Director Michael Hayden appeared on NBC's Meet the Press this morning and told host Tim Russert that al Qaeda is using the remote border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan to train new recruits, including operatives who could pass for Westerners:

"They are bringing operatives into that region for training; operatives that wouldn't attract your attention if they were going through the customs line at Dulles with you when you were coming back from overseas."

Since al Qaeda, or any other terrorist group, for that matter, could easily slip personnel across the US border with Mexico, there's an implication that these operatives might be used to once again attack using the American air transport system.

Good thing Transportation Security Administration airport security screeners are trained to view all people entering the secure area of the airport as potentially dangerous - a doctrine for which the screeners are often mocked by less knowledgeable air travellers.